Regional development

Gender : Encouraging gender equality in the Middle East and North Africa

28/04/2010 - Governments in the Middle East and North Africa increasingly recognise that gender equality - encouraging the talents, skills, education and productivity of all their citizens, including women - will make their countries stronger.

Achieving gender equality in government and business remains a huge challenge worldwide. And though more women in OECD and MENA do hold jobs, there is still a gender gap and women continue to be under-represented in political, public and economic decision-making processes. Across Middle East and North African countries only 26% of women hold jobs, compared to 53% globally and the OECD rate of 62%.

To share experience and ideas about how to boost gender equality in both the Middle East and North African and OECD, government and business experts from MENA and OECD countries will outline ways to attract women to the public and private sectors.

Noting recent global and regional trends and developments, participants will discuss ways to attract talent,the use of gender quotas to increase female participation and advancement, and options to open business, justice and finance services to women who need them.

The conference will open with comments by two Moroccan Ministers, Mohammed Saâd El Alami, Public Sector Modernisation, and Nizar Baraka, Economic and General Affairs, and Karen Kornbluh, US Ambassador to the OECD, and Carolyn Ervin, OECD Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs.

Journalists are invited to attend this opening session, 9:30 – 10:15 on Tuesday 4 May and to request interviews with the participants attending the meeting.

If you would like to attend the opening session, or to interview one of the people attending the meeting, please contact the OECD media division by e-mail news.contact@oecd.org or by telephone at 01 45 24 97 00.